Self-Management Program for Persons With Limb Loss

Approximately 1.2 million Americans are living with limb loss. Pain, psychological distress, reduced function and disability are common conditions following limb loss and are related to reduced quality of life. Our own work has identified depression, anxiety, and pain as significant problems for community dwelling persons with limb loss. Traditionally, interventions for disabling impairments and related secondary conditions focus on standard medical treatments such as medication, surgery or rehabilitative therapies. Self-management (SM) interventions, on the other hand, have been found to be effective in reducing secondary conditions and disability associated with some chronic conditions using individual and group-based delivery methods. To date, no SM intervention has been developed for, and evaluated in, persons with limb loss. The goal of the project is to develop and test the efficacy of a community-based self-management intervention for reducing pain, depression, and anxiety and improving positive mood, self-efficacy and function in persons with limb loss. The intervention will build on the already exisitng national network of community-based peer support groups developed by the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA). Establishing the efficacy of commmunity-based SM interventions for persons with limb loss has the potential to improve the health and quality of life for this population